Overview

• On June 18, President Trump held a Rose Garden photo op marking the installation of two new flagpoles at the White House lawns.
• During the event, he abruptly asked the hard-hat crew if any of them were “illegal immigrants.”
• Trump warned that unauthorized workers would be “found out” and have their “whole life… destroyed” by ensuing investigations.
• He cited his mass deportation campaign, noting the removal of “murderers, drug dealers, people that are mentally insane” as priorities.
• The episode spotlights rapid shifts in White House worksite enforcement policy and raises concerns about presidential conduct.